Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Patch Adams (1998) - Rousing Williams performance steers Shadyac's sentimental biopic

9/30/2023

Patch Adams (1998) - Rousing Williams performance steers Shadyac's sentimental biopic

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A child puts a clown nose on star Robin Williams' warm, endeared face on this bright poster for Tom Shadyac's Patch Adams

Following a suicidal personal crisis in a mental hospital Hunter Adams learns which direction his life should take: As a doctor he wants to make the ill laugh and meet them as fellow human beings. But this brings him on a collision course with the norms in his profession.

Patch Adams is written by Steve Oederkerk (Bruce Almighty (2003)), based on the book Gesundheit! (1998) by the real-life Patch Adams and Maureen Mylander, and directed by Virginian master filmmaker Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)), whose 4th feature it is.

Robin Williams (Bicentennial Man (1999)) carries this film, and he makes 'Patch' a moving acquaintance. Patch Adams is more dramatic than most Shadyac films: Monica Potter (Boston Legal (2004-05)) gives a good supporting performance as Patch's girlfriend, and what happens to her in the film is heavy. You'll need a hard heart not to feel the laughter and well-being spread in many scenes. Bob Gunton (Royal Pains (2010-16)) is fine as a doctor antagonist, and Michael Jeter (Jurassic Park III (2001)) and others are good in small parts.

Patch Adams is excessively sentimental but lovely all the same. A couple of Patch's gags in the film are made in an exaggerated version, (one involves enormous women's legs made of papier-mâché at the medical school; another an entire pool filled with spaghetti), and the exaggeration for emphasis is a bit ridiculous. Patch Adams is all about Williams, whose face here expresses that special wealth of emotion that made him so unique and beloved.

Tom Shadyac: The 2000s in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Evan Almighty (2007) - Shadyac's monumentally miscalculated sequel/professional gravestone (hope not)

Bruce Almighty (2003) - Carrey makes laughter in well-made what-if-you-were-God-comedy

1994 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Top 10: Best comedies reviewed by Film Excess to date

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) - 6th gear Jim Carrey smacker

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 50-90 mil. $ (different accounts)

Box office: 202.2 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.88 times its cost)

[Patch Adams premiered 21 October (USA) and runs 115 minutes. Williams was reportedly paid 21 mil. $ for his performance in the film. Shooting took place from February - June 1998 in North Carolina and California. The film opened #1 to a 25.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend at #1 and then another 5 in the top 5 (#2-#2-#2-#2-#3), grossing 135 mil. $ (66.8 % of the total gross). The film was nominated for the Best Score - Comedy/Musical Oscar (Marc Shaiman (Bros (2022))), lost to Stephen Warbeck for Shakespeare in Love. It was also nominated for 2 Golden Globes, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 1.5/4 star review, translating to 3 notches under this one. Shadyac returned with Dragonfly (2002). Williams returned in One Saturday Morning (1998, TV-series), L.A. Doctors (1999, TV-series) and theatrically in Jakob the Liar (1999). Patch Adams is rotten at 21 % with a 4.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Patch Adams?

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William Friedkin has died

Born in Chicago, Friedkin accrued TV credits prior to his advance to the big screen as the director of Good TImes (1967), The Birthday Party (1968), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) and The Boys in the Band (1970) before his major breakthrough, The French Connection (1971), for which he won his only Oscar. He followed it up with the even bigger smash, The Exorcist (1973), arguably the best horror film of all time, for which he was Oscar-nominated. Later credits include Sorcerer (1977), Cruising (1980), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Rampage (1987), Rules of Engagement (2000), Killer Joe (2011) and The Devil and Father Amorth (2017, documentary). Friedkin passed away at age 87. R.I.P.

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Wolfgang Petersen has died

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Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

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